THE National Artist with his 27-foot drawing of nude sketches.

Silverlens Gallery is proud to present Related Images, an exhibit of new works by National Artist Benedicto R. Cabrera that opens on May 31, Saturday.

In Related Images, Bencab has completed a 27-foot drawing of nude sketches, a piece called Nude Variations, to line the main wall of the gallery. This masterpiece will be presented with 10 new works of mixed-media drawings on photographs that the artist has taken. BenCab explains, “I’m obsessed with drawing, and photography has always been an interest. The combination of drawing and photography in a single artwork gives me an opportunity to create an interaction between the two media.” This is the first time Bencab is merging these two processes, the photographic impulse mirrored by the drawing imagination. A prolific photographer, hardly ever without a camera slung on his shoulder, Bencab begins most of his work with photographs, from the images seen in his social realist etchings from the ’70s to the nudes he’s done over the years.

Born in the Philippines in 1942, Bencab began carving a niche for himself in Manila’s art circles shortly after receiving his degree in fine arts from the University of the Philippines. A prolific painter and printmaker, he has exhibited widely in the Philippines, as well as in Asia, Europe and the US. In a career spanning four decades, he has received several major art awards and recognitions, the most recent being the Order of National Artist for Visual Arts in 2006. His works have been the subject of three books: Ben Cabrera: Etchings (1970-1980) by Cid Reyes; Bencab’s Rock Sessions by Eric Caruncho; and Bencab by Alfred Yuson and Cid Reyes. A new book, Bencab: Nude Drawings, is published by Anvil Publishing, with an essay by Alfred Yuson. The artist lives and works in Baguio City, where he is building an art museum to be run by the recently established Bencab Art Foundation.

Accompanying Related Images is an Artist Talk and the drawing installation by Bencab beginning at 3 pm, and the book launch of Bencab: Nude Drawings at 4 pm, both on June 28, Saturday. Silverlens Gallery is at the YMC Building 2, 2320 Pasong Tamo Extension, Makati City. Gallery hours are from 10 am to 7 pm on weekdays, and from 1 to 6 pm on Saturday.

For information: 816-0044, manage@silverlensphoto.com, www.silverlensphoto.com.

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Bencab at Silverlens

Silverlens Gallery is proud to present Related Images, an exhibit of new works by National Artist Benedicto R. Cabrera that opens on May 31, Saturday.

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